BMW Group Press Conference, International Motor Show IAA 2017

Dialogue between Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, and Hajo Schumacher, German Author and Journalist.

Dr. Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Brand BMW, Aftersales BMW Group

Good morning! What a great day to go for a drive in the new BMW i3 – it’s quick, it’s quiet, with an elegant design! And of course, zero local emissions. 

Four years ago, we launched the BMW i3 right here in Frankfurt: A pioneering car, way ahead of the game with its many ground-breaking technologies.

Today, it is recognized the world over as a symbol of innovative driving pleasure, sustainability and intelligent connectivity in the urban environment. That’s why it has become the best-selling electric car in the premium compact segment, worldwide.

The BMW i3 has now been further improved with sharper, more refined styling and new digital services, including help with finding a parking space.

Now for the very first time, I’m delighted to present the new model variant, the BMW i3s.

The BMW i3s serves the needs of customers who are looking for a fully-electric vehicle with a more dynamic drive, and look. I think it looks fantastic!

Both of these vehicles provide a premium, all-electric driving experience.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we see the future of urban mobility: emission free, hassle free and connected.

The BMW i3 has played an important pioneering role at the BMW Group. Its eDrive technology is taking the BMW Group into the next era of mobility. We’ve transferred the technology to other core models right across our portfolio, and today, customers can choose between nine electrified cars and one motorcycle.

To tell you more about MINI and Motorrad, I’ll now hand over to Peter Schwarzenbauer.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, MINI, Rolls-Royce, BMW Motorrad, Customer Experience and Digital Business Innovation BMW Group

Our company is a pioneer in e-mobility. Already in 1972, it was an electric BMW that accompanied Olympic marathon runners on their route through the city of Munich. And, in 2008, the MINI E test fleet began a new chapter in modern electro-mobility. Customers worldwide clocked up more than 16 million kilometres on electric power only. This formed the basis for developing the BMW i3.

Now we have come full circle. Since summer, MINI has offered the Countryman as a plug-in hybrid. Customer response has been tremendous. That doesn’t surprise me: MINI has always been at home in the urban setting.

The brand was destined for electrification.

Ladies and gentlemen: the MINI Electric Concept!

A preview of our first series-production all-electric MINI! Many customers are eagerly awaiting its release in 2019. Typical MINI, it combines sustainable mobility with maximum emotion! I’m really looking forward to it!

BMW Motorrad – our fourth brand – also has a fast-growing fan-base. We have had emission-free motorcycles for quite some time. And we have seen a strong increase in demand for the C evolution since we improved its range and performance. In Paris, for example, you see it on the roads everywhere.

Our Concept Link combines two fundamental needs of our modern society: Mobility and communication. This scooter is fully integrated into the digital world. Drivers and their surroundings – and even their clothing – are connected.

Digitalisation and e-mobility are the key technologies everybody is talking about. Both of these are top priority for us. My colleague, Klaus Fröhlich, will now explain to you our plans for e-mobility at BMW.

Klaus Fröhlich Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Already ten years ago, we began implementing our strategy for sustainable mobility. With EfficientDynamics - more driving pleasure with less fuel consumption - we significantly reduced the CO2 emissions of our fleet.

And then we successfully established BMW i: Our innovation hub and think-tank.

With BMW i we already showed back in 2013 what an electrified future looks like. BMW i was, and still is, the original!

Since 2015, with our flexible architectures, we have been able to build vehicles with a combustion engine or as plug-in hybrids. We will sell more than 100,000 electrified vehicles this year alone – which makes us one of the world’s largest providers of electrified vehicles currently.

And now we are starting the second stage of our strategy. We are now taking the steps to enable us to build all model series with any type of drive train from 2020 – combustion engine, plug-in hybrid or battery – according to demand.

In development, we are using scalable electric construction modules. With the fifth generation of our e-drivetrains, we will achieve high performance and extensive range with much less weight. These will be integrated into our two enhanced flexible vehicle architectures, which are suitable for all drive forms. In this way, we are completely flexible in how we respond to our customers’ needs. We need more than single solutions. Electromobility is the “new normal” for us. This clearly distinguishes us from competitors.

I am confident that we will be at the forefront of e-mobility, leading established and new competitors. You have just seen some of our new products today:

The electric MINI, the new BMW i3 and the BMW i3s.

We have also announced the fully electric X3 and the BMW iNEXT.

And we have even more! This is the BMW i Vision Dynamics!

• It is fully electric.
• And accelerates from zero to a hundred in four seconds.
• With a top speed of over 200 km/h.
• And a range of 600 kilometres.

All of this shows, once again, that: Sheer driving pleasure and e-mobility are the perfect fit. It shows that electro-mobility has reached the heart of our brand.

We are going for the lead! That’s why the BMW i Vision Dynamics stands for so much more. It symbolizes our growth strategy in electro-mobility. It provides a glimpse into our future: A four-door Gran Coupé positioned between the i3 and the i8. Its design is modelled on the BMW Vision NEXT 100 from our centenary year.

But, as you can see, it only takes us a few years, not 30, to turn visions into reality. I can promise you, the BMW i Vision Dynamics will go into series-production.

That belongs to our tradition. Think of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics.

Within just a few years, it became the BMW i8. Today, the i8 is most desirable plug-in hybrid sports car in the world.

You see: We deliver on our promises! And I am confident that in e-mobility, we will also be the leading provider of premium vehicles.

And now, back to Harald Krüger.

Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG

Here you see our electrified fleet! We made the switch early. Now, we are stepping up the pace:

25 electrified models in 2025 – 12 of them fully electric!

Sustainable mobility at the BMW Group is amazing and comes in many forms!

We are fully committed to this! We wish you all a successful IAA. Thank you!